TURKEY: Özel Reelected & more – 25th Sep 2025

Merhaba from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 25th of September twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

On Sunday the 21st, the main opposition, the Republican People’s Party or CHP, re-elected Özgür Özel as its leader at an extraordinary congress. Özel secured 835 of 917 valid votes from delegates. The re-election came just ahead of a possible October court ruling that might annul the CHP’s twenty twenty-three congress and presidential election over alleged procedural irregularities.

Critics see that case as a test of democracy under President Erdoğan. Markets also watched closely because uncertainty around political leadership often affects investor confidence.

Despite the controversy around the CHP, it remains Turkey’s largest opposition party, governing major cities like Istanbul, İzmir, and Ankara.

In a similar fashion, on Wednesday the 24th, the CHP İstanbul Branch held its branch congress and re-elected Özgür Çelik as its leader, cleverly overturning a court’s earlier attempt to remove him amid an investigation over alleged corruption. Another court tried to block the congress, but the Supreme Election Board allowed it to proceed.

In protest over the interference, party members briefly barricaded the Istanbul headquarters, creating tense moments with police. Observers say the episode shows continued pressure on opposition parties in Turkey and highlights conflicts between the judiciary and political groups.

Çelik’s re-election reassures supporters about the party’s independence and demonstrates determination to maintain leadership amid obstacles.

The congress drew attention across social media, with citizens debating judicial influence and the future of party governance in Istanbul.

More about the CHP, as on Sunday the 23rd, authorities detained thirteen people in a corruption investigation linked to concerts organized by the CHP-led Ankara Municipality. The charges include abuse of public office and rigging public tenders tied to thirty-two concerts held between twenty twenty-one and twenty twenty-four, with reported financial losses of around 154 million liras (almost 4 million dollars).

The CHP denounced the arrests as politically motivated, saying that the government is using the judiciary to target opposition municipalities. The government rejected these accusations, insisting that judicial institutions act independently and that the investigation focuses on real misconduct.

The case has sparked debate on social media, with citizens discussing political influence, accountability, and how local governance intersects with national politics.

Observers say the situation adds tension to the already strained relations between the ruling and opposition parties in Turkey.

Switching gears to some news from the ruling party, in just three days (from Thursday the 18th to Saturday the 20th), eight city branch leaders resigned from the Justice and Development Party or AKP, including the eastern city of Elazığ and southwestern Muğla, raising eyebrows across Turkey.

Analysts suggest internal disagreements and dissatisfaction with party strategies fueled the resignations, while social media shows a mix of surprise, criticism, and speculation from citizens. The departures have raised questions about potential instability in the party, and how they might affect upcoming local and national elections.

The AKP leadership has yet to comment on the resignations.

Speaking of leadership, on Thursday the 18th, Ali Erbaş stepped down after eight years as head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate. President Erdoğan appointed Safi Arpaguş in his place. He is the Mufti of Istanbul, a senior Islamic scholar responsible for guiding religious practice and issuing rulings in the region.

Public reactions were mixed. Women’s groups, rights advocates, and opponents praised the change as overdue, saying Erbaş’s sermons and remarks had crossed lines of secular norms and equality, while Erbaş’s Supporters defended him, saying he was faithful to tradition and religious values. His critics applauded the change, hoping for a more inclusive Directorate.

The transition appears aimed at softening public tensions ahead of upcoming elections.

In some international news, on Monday the 22nd, Turkey terminated several retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports, including passenger cars, rice, fruit, and tobacco, that had been in place since twenty eighteen. The move came just before President Erdoğan’s scheduled meeting with Donald Trump and his attendance at the U.N. General Assembly. Turkey aims to boost bilateral trade with the U.S.—from about thirty billion dollars last year toward a target of one hundred billion dollars annually.

Alongside lifting those tariffs, the government imposed customs duties between 25% and 30% on cars imported from non-EU countries lacking free trade agreements.

On that note about the General Assembly, on Tuesday the 23rd, President Erdoğan took the stage and called Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide. He showed photos of starving children and accused Israel of mass cruelty. He urged world leaders to stand with Palestinians and pressed countries that haven’t yet recognized Palestine to act without delay.

His words sparked debate in Turkey. His supporters praised him for speaking out, while critics said his tough talk abroad doesn’t match Turkey’s policies at home, especially given the ongoing trade with Israel.

Some people suspected that the UN cut off Erdoğan’s mic during his speech. However, Erdoğan’s communications director said he finished his speech without interruption and within the normal time limit.

While in New York for the meeting, President Erdoğan also oversaw the signing of an important agreement. On Wednesday the 24th, Turkey’s state energy company BOTAS signed a twenty-year deal with Mercuria, one of the world’s biggest energy traders.

Starting in twenty twenty-six, Turkey will buy about four billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas each year. Over the life of the contract, that adds up to roughly seventy billion cubic meters. The gas will come from U.S. export terminals, then be shipped, regasified, and sent to Turkey, as well as parts of Europe and North Africa.

Officials say the deal helps secure Turkey’s energy needs, lowers the risk of shortages, and supports the country’s effort to increase trade with the US..

On Thursday the 18th, Turkey and Egypt announced joint naval drills for the first time in thirteen years. They said that the Sea of Friendship exercises would run between Monday the 22nd and Friday the 26th in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkish naval assets for the drill include major ships, fast attack boats, a submarine, and F-16 fighter jets.

The Turkish Ministry of National Defense said the aim was to strengthen bilateral security cooperation and demonstrate readiness in a changing region.

Meanwhile, on Friday the 19th, Mubadala, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, entered advanced talks to sell its full stake in Getir, a Turkish delivery firm, including its car-rental business. One of the Buyers under consideration is U.S.-based DoorDash.

The negotiations follow internal disputes over control and stem from loans Mubadala made in twenty twenty-four. Getir once had global ambitions and a high valuation during the pandemic, but recent years’ shrinking demand forced it into restructuring.

On Monday the 22nd, the Council of State received the expert report on the Channel İstanbul project, a controversial artificial waterway project cutting through İstanbul to reduce traffic in the Bosphorus.

Specialists prepared a 400-page report, warning that the project carries serious environmental, seismic, and cultural risks. Experts say construction could trigger local earthquakes, damage underground fault lines, and destroy freshwater sources, harming the local wildlife.

The report also points out threats to cultural and archaeological sites, including the Mimar Sinan Bridge and Roman aqueducts, with no protection plans proposed. Specialists criticized the Ministry of Environment’s twenty twenty Environmental Impact Assessment for errors, missing data, and inconsistent methods.

They concluded the project failed to meet scientific and technical standards.

For our final story this week, on Wednesday the 23rd, the Parliament raised prices in its cafeterias and restaurants, with hikes ranging between 50% and 100%. In the Members’ Dining Hall, the cover charge went up from six to eight liras (about twenty US cents) while soups now cost twenty-three liras (seventy cents), and main meat dishes one hundred liras (which is about three dollars).

At the Public Relations Building cafeteria, mixed pizza doubled to two hundred liras (six dollars), French fries climbed to fifty liras (about one dollar and fifty cents), and cheese toast jumped to eighty liras (two dollars and fifty cents).

The hikes triggered lively debate on social media, with citizens comparing the parliament’s relatively low prices to soaring food prices outside the parliament.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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